5 courses with the subject CS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
CS 121OL Church in Society: Reading Your Context
A course that presents frames and methods to prompt our thinking and speaking about ministries in their distinctive places, varied social patterns, and glorious assortment of traditions. Drawing on Congregational Studies and Ethnography of Religion, students collect observations in the field and bring them into small group discussions in the class. The course also guides participants into wider perspectives on trends and concerns that impact ministry today; and the course invites students to share their discernment of their vocational pathways in response to the challenges and opportunities of varied social conditions. The course is asynchronous within weekly units but includes options for small group zooms. Fulfills Church in Society requirement in the MDiv and MA Professional track (Deacon 59
Seventy-one per cent (71%) of all congregations in the United States have fewer than 100 people in average weekly attendance (63% in ELCA). Forty-four per cent (44%) of all congregations are in rural or small-town settings (47% in ELCA). Explore your reaction to social change, conflict, community patterns, and opportunities for mission in rural places and small churches, including Appalachia and other regions. Intensive course based at Gettysburg with some day trips in the vicinity. Fulfills Church in Society requirement.
Get ready for challenges in ministry, through a close look at church, society and ecology in Appalachia. A region rich in cultural histories and stunning landscape, Appalachia has also been traumatized by environmental damage, economic and racial inequality, opioid epidemic and other problems. The intensive includes traditional classroom instruction, immersion trips to Appalachian communities, and online learning. Assigned readings and presentations introduce methods for community analysis and the roots of environmental and social problems. Conversations with mission leaders probe resilience of church and Spirit and open space for participants to consider and discern the shape of their own sense of call. Fulfills Church in Society requirement or Praxis option or elective. 2. CHA 312 OL Equipping the Saints—Rural Church The focus of the course is preparation for administration, community-building and outreach with small-membership congregations (<100 average worship attendance) located in open country to towns of 10,000 population. Fulfills “Equipping the Saints” requirement, or Praxis option, or free elective. Prerequisite: PRAX123 or PRAX127. 3. & 4. Two Elective Courses–chosen from available offerings in consultation with the director. Contact the TCCI Director: The Rev. Gilson Waldkoenig, PhD, Professor of Church in Society gwaldkoenig@uls.edu ; 717-338-3029; Valentine Hall 418, Gettysburg, PA Specialization in Lutheran Studies Students wishing to pursue advanced study of the Lutheran tradition may pursue a specialization in Lutheran Studies. In addition to DEN 201 Lutheran Foundations (a required course for ELCA candidates for ministry) and either field work or internship/immersion in an ELCA congregation, students must complete three other courses that fulfill the specialization. This information will be noted in the course descriptions at the time of registration. Other specializations available for the MDiv program include: Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Anglican Studies (completion of four courses in Anglican Studies plus demonstrate experience in Anglican/Episcopal settings). 14
CS 729TS (STM/DMin) Environment & Religion in Northern Appalachia
(formerly PRAX 429/729 TS Environment & Religion in Northern Appalachia) Explore environmental history; archaeology of indigenous life; restoration of streams, forests and prairie; a sustainable homestead; and small churches facing economic and ecological change. Discuss strategy for ministry and theological interpretation of conflicts over environmental and social issues. The intensive course will meet at Camp Lutherlyn, Butler, PA. There will be hiking on rough paths (inclement weather possible), semi-rustic lodging, and road travel. Free elective. Counts for Concentration in Town and Country Church Ministry and/or the WTC Certificate in Ecology and Theology. Limited enrollment, by permission of instructor.
